Chasing after her husband? Is it even possible to win him back?

Chapter Fifteen, Grand Elder Xu Jiujing

Yao Jiangshu, Baidi City, the last disciple of the nineteenth floor of the Jian Ge Academy.

The youngest disciple under the Grand Elder of Baidi City.

He is a weapon cultivator, specializing in swords and sabers. He has reached the peak of the Condensation Realm and is just one step away from entering the Human Profound Realm of the Three Profound Realms.

Age, confidential.

"In short, from the moment the Elders' Hall makes its decision today, I am your senior sister. Quick, call me senior sister and let me hear it!"

Chu Xunfeng dried his wet hair with a towel, glanced at his senior sister who had her arms crossed over her chest, displaying unparalleled 'human unity', and silently apologized before quietly shifting his gaze, "Senior Sister Jiang Shu."

His casual address, when it fell into Yao Jiangshu's eyes, sent a tingling sensation through her heart. Yao Jiangshu had seen many handsome and talented young men, but at this moment, this handsome young man in front of her had the added identity of a junior brother. They had only known each other for half an hour and were just strangers, but for some reason, with Chu Xunfeng's address...

Yao Jiangshu felt that the relationship between the two had immediately become special.

He seemed three times more handsome than any of the other handsome young talents I'd ever seen.

"Mmm, not bad, your senior sister will protect you from now on!" Yao Jiangshu was very satisfied with this junior brother and couldn't help but nod vigorously.

"Mmm, thank you, senior sister." Chu Xunfeng nodded casually, but his attention was clearly not on his senior sister.

"Junior brother, what are you thinking about?" Yao Jiangshu quietly approached.

"..." Chu Xunfeng's attention was clearly not on this beautiful senior sister; he seemed to be in a daze.

When Yao Jiangshu approached within three steps, Chu Xunfeng didn't even notice the extra person beside him. He was only looking at the light screen that the system had unfolded, calculating how much energy he had accumulated for the second reward during his three days of cultivation.

The previous progress was 21.3%, but after three days of practice, it has now risen to 27.4%, which is basically 2% progress per day. Compared to the 0.1% or 0.2% progress per day when the system was first launched a few years ago, this is already ten times faster!

Chu Xunfeng was still pondering how long it would take to receive the next system reward when a pair of hands suddenly snatched the towel from his hand and began haphazardly rubbing his hair with it.

"Oh dear, my junior brother doesn't want to talk to me... Is there something about me that doesn't meet his expectations?"

With his hair in a mess, Chu Xunfeng shivered inexplicably as he listened to his senior sister's cheerful voice, like a mouse being watched by a cat. "No, I was just wondering why I smelled so bad just now."

"Why don't we ask someone who might know?" Shu Ni softened her movements, her laughter ringing out like bells.

Yes, that's clear.

"Then, senior sister, do you know why I smell so bad after I started cultivating?" Chu Xunfeng asked humbly.

"I don't know, I'm not a body cultivator." Yao Jiangshu removed the towel, vigorously ruffled Chu Xunfeng's messy hair, suppressed the feeling of satisfaction in her heart, and casually tossed the towel onto the back of a chair. "So, go ask your master."

Chu Xunfeng was stunned for a moment, looking at the woman who had walked around to his front and was pressing on his shoulder.

Yao Jiangshu was very beautiful. When she smiled, she had a radiant, sun-like energy, and you could almost feel a warm breeze caressing your cheek.

"Master is still waiting for you at Sword Pavilion!" Yao Jiangshu noticed her junior brother's sudden moment of distraction and was in a good mood. She straightened up and stretched vigorously. "Ready to set off?"

"Hmm." Chu Xunfeng also stood up.

He seemed to understand what his senior sister was trying to say, but the expression was so subtle, so elusive, that it seemed ambiguous and he couldn't be too sure.

In short, let's go see that elder first.

Having had the experience of riding Xu Bailing's flying sword, I was much more comfortable standing on my senior sister's flying sword this time.

This time, the two did not land on the platform in front of the Sword Pavilion, but flew straight towards the Sword Pavilion near the hilt of the sword.

A small platform, roughly twenty or thirty square meters.

"Once you reach the third realm, Junior Brother, you won't have to climb the stairs to the nineteenth floor every day." A strong, slender hand patted Chu Xunfeng's shoulder, offering him words of encouragement. "Come with me."

Chu Xunfeng nodded and followed Yao Jiangshu.

Stepping out of the small room connecting to the nineteenth-floor platform, the view suddenly opened up.

The Sword Pavilion appears to be a closed building, but the reception platform on the nineteenth floor connects to a huge courtyard. A giant red maple stands alone in the center of the courtyard. Even though there is no wind, the leaves of the dozens of meters tall red maple tree sway gently, with leaves falling at any moment. However, just before they hit the ground, the red maple leaves quietly turn green again and then suddenly turn into withered leaves. After several cycles, Chu Xunfeng was even mesmerized by what he saw.

[Host, Dharma cultivator, at the Death Severance Realm.]

The Realm of Death is Broken!

The system's screen abruptly pulled Chu Xunfeng's thoughts back to reality. The young man tried his best to suppress the throbbing in his heart and forced himself to shift his focus from the huge red maple to the figure under the tree in the courtyard.

"Your composure is quite good." Yao Jiangshu noticed that Chu Xunfeng only lingered for a few seconds before suddenly snapping back to his senses, and praised him, "Let's go, Master has already seen us."

"Mm." Chu Xunfeng nodded and followed Yao Jiangshu into the courtyard, gradually approaching the foot of the red maple tree.

An elderly man with white hair and beard sat cross-legged under a maple tree. As the two approached, the old man opened his eyes, revealing a pair of pale blue eyes that Chu Xunfeng found familiar...

Isn't this... Xu Bailing's eye color?

"Chu Xunfeng, my name is Xu Jiujing, and I am the Grand Elder of Baidi City. I have heard about your conflict with my niece and Ding Yusong three days ago."

Chu Xunfeng stopped in his tracks, but Xu Jiujing simply smiled gently, raised his hand and stroked in front of him, the sound of withered leaves rustling out. The next second, two futons formed from emerald green and bright red maple leaves. "Sit."

"Thank you, Elder Xie."

"Thank you, Master!" Compared to Chu Xunfeng's restraint, Yao Jiangshu was much more casual. After sitting cross-legged, she looked at her master and her junior brother, whom she didn't know very well, with great interest.

"Let me ask you one question: would you be willing to become my disciple?"

"Now that we've entered Baidi City, we will naturally follow the Elders' arrangements," Chu Xunfeng replied neither humbly nor arrogantly.

However, Chu Xunfeng's attitude made the Grand Elder pause slightly. "Hmm... Very well, since you have joined my sect, I will assign you your first task today."

Chu Xunfeng blinked, waiting for the Grand Elder to continue.

"Once Ding Yusong's confinement ends, challenge him to a duel, defeat him, and you have three months. Are you confident you can do it?"

Chu Xunfeng was stunned as he looked at the elder, whose hair and beard were all white and who was smiling broadly.

Suddenly discovered.

This elder was a little different from what I had imagined.

On the other side, seeing her junior brother's astonished expression, Yao Jiangshu could hardly contain her laughter.

She finally understood how Fang Nian's senior brothers and sisters felt when they looked at her!

So cool!

Chapter Sixteen: Clarifying Aspirations and Understanding the Way

"Elder... no, Master, let me sort this out first."

Chu Xunfeng, sitting upright on the futon, pondered for a long time, "What realm is Ding Yusong at?"

“Cultivate the Dharma, and comprehend the natural state.”

The third realm of the initial four realms is a whole major realm higher than oneself.

"How long did it take him to reach the third realm?" Chu Xunfeng asked again.

"Not long. He practiced martial arts from a young age and only clarified his cultivation direction at the age of seventeen. So, all in all, it's been three years." Xu Jiujing stroked his beard, smiling serenely.

"Master wants me to catch up with someone's three years of cultivation in three months, then ignore all the years of accumulation, take the initiative to challenge him to a duel, and finally defeat him?" Chu Xunfeng was speechless, almost sweating profusely.

"Hmm..." The white-bearded old man pondered for a few seconds, then nodded firmly, "Yes."

I can't stand it any longer.

Chu Xunfeng couldn't hold back any longer. "Master, what are you thinking?"

"What I think is not important." Xu Jiuling's smile faded slightly, and he stared at Chu Xunfeng with a serious expression. "The question is, what do you think?"

"Some people seek power, some seek authority, some seek to live a hundred years longer, and some seek to be above ten thousand others. If you have no desires, why bother with cultivation? Human life has an end, and no one can withstand the cycle of birth and death. The lifespan that cultivation can add is only fifty years. However, not everyone in this world can withstand the cycle of birth and death. Rather than wasting your life, it is better to put down cultivation and enjoy life while you can. There are a hundred kinds of flavors in the mortal world."

"So... Chu Xunfeng, answer me." Xu Jiujing stared at his last disciple, "What do you seek in your cultivation?"

Chu Xunfeng fell silent.

Xu Jiujing's gentle and soothing voice seemed to penetrate directly into his heart. What came to mind?

In my past life, I was in a bustling steel jungle, struggling for thirty years, yet I was just one of the many ordinary people in the city, an insignificant cog in the machine of the city and society. All I ever sought was the word "life," but I died alone, exhausted, without ever understanding what life truly meant.

In my past life, I lived in a daze, seemingly just existing for the sake of existing.

In this second life, after her family was scattered, everyone, human or ghost, came to the Chu family to try and steal some money. The Ning family patriarch and matriarch looked down at her with disapproval and silent eyes. Ning Qiu Ning saw her disappointment and looked down at her with repeated words like "You're useless," "Just take care of the family," and "No matter how much silver you have, what does it compare to spirit stones?"

For the first twenty years of this life, I seem to have been drifting along with the tide, no... letting myself go.

So why should I follow the system's arrangements and embark on the path of cultivation?

Did I even swallow the Phoenix Blood Dragon Bone Pill that could have killed me in one gulp?

Why do I ask?

An invisible wind brushed past the red maple leaves behind Xu Jiujing, and a red leaf swirled down and landed on Chu Xunfeng's shoulder.

There was no turning green, no withering, no disappearance. It seemed that the false true meaning of the Dharma cultivation had not been noticed, and one's own body had already fallen gracefully.

Xu Jiujing's eyes narrowed slightly, and Yao Jiangshu subconsciously held her breath, sat up straight, and looked at the young man beside her.

He...is attaining enlightenment!

Enlightenment!

Yao Jiangshu had been trying for three years, but she still hadn't found her own path.

The intention to exert force is like water accumulating in a pond. When the water is full, the intention is powerful, but if there is no qualitative change, it is completely unusable and can only be trapped in the last of the four realms.

The accumulation required for the three stages of cultivation and the four realms are different, but why do the realms have been unified after the initial four realms? It's simply because all paths lead to the same destination.